A Hogwarts Tale
by HogwartsxSeeker
Summary: Isabella Carmichael is entering her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary. There she will make new friends (including a certain magical family) and enemies. The start of her magical education seems uneventful but is there something dark lurking in the halls of Hogwarts? Set in the next generation's time and there will be next generation characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is my first fanfiction so please bear with me. It's a Harry Potter fanfiction set in the next generation era during Dominique Weasley's first year. I had Dominique being born in December 2001 and just to warn you a lot of my characters are OCs.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything else you might know or recognise. All rights go to J.K Rowling.**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Letter

The blinding sunlight had found a way to filter itself through Isabella Carmichael's eyelids, waking her up. She didn't move but instead just lay there, silent, until her little brother found his way into her room.

"Hi," Elliot said blinking at her.

"Morning, kiddo," she replied, sitting up in bed. Elliot Carmichael was a small boy with blond curls that flopped slightly down onto his forehead. Like Isabella, he had light blue eyes with a grey tinge to them. He smiled slightly; she always liked it when he showed emotion. For nine years old he didn't show much.

"There's a letter for you downstairs."

Her heart swelled with anticipation, she hoped this was the letter she had been waiting for her whole life. She didn't say anything dramatic though but instead something far more amusing.

"I must be popular," she said smirking slightly at him. He simply tilted his head and left the room.

She hastily got dressed and tiptoed down the wooden stairs. She wasn't sure whether their father was up or not. Elliot would wake up quite early sometimes. Their father, Wesley Carmichael, owned his own business in Diagon Alley called _Wes's Toys and Games._ It was a rather new business, only 14 years old and he made all the products himself. Isabella, Elliot and their father lived in a homely two-storey apartment behind the shop. Their family had once been four people but Isabella's mother was long gone. Three years ago their family was visiting friends in Albania when Miranda Carmichael was attacked by a werewolf. She died two nights later in hospital. It had put their family into disarray and Isabella herself winced at the memory. Since then, werewolves had been a sensitive topic in their house despite all of them knowing the werewolves were normal people the rest of the time and that they don't remember anything the night of the full moon. She quickly shook the thoughts away and found herself in the kitchen, staring at Elliot. He silently passed her a letter over the table and peered at her, anticipating her reaction. She moved her gaze from Elliot to the emerald writing on the page.

 _Miss I. Carmichael Second-Story Bedroom 15 Diagon Alley Central London London_

She flipped the letter in her hand and saw the Hogwarts stamp on the back. Isabella's heart skipped a beat. She had grown up around magic and had seen her father perform spells but the idea that _she_ could actually do magic had always seemed so foreign to her. Now she had proof and could go to Hogwarts. A million questions swarmed her mind. _What house will I be in_? _Will I make any friends?_ _Will I be any good at magic?_

"It's from Hogwarts, isn't it?" Elliot inquired, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She nodded absentmindedly, her eyes still glued to the letter.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?"

"I'll do it when Dad's here."

"He's in the workshop if you're wondering," he said, standing up.

A large grin spread across her face and she could already see her dad's proud expression as he read her letter.

"Great, I'll go show him now," she said, already climbing the stairs. Elliot had to hurry to catch up and by then she was already half way down the second-floor hallway. Together, they peered into the wooden room and saw their father hunched over his desk, working on a new toy. Isabella stepped into the room and Elliot shuffled in after her. Wesley Carmichael looked up at them and a smile broke across his face. He was a rather tall man with brown hair that flopped over his face and the beginnings of a beard.

"How are my two favourite children this fine morning?"

"Pretty good," Isabella said, still beaming.

"Isabella got her Hogwarts letter," Elliot said bluntly. _Well_ , Isabella thought, _there goes my plan for telling Dad dramatically_.

"That's great, now you can do magic," Isabella's dad was grinning from ear to ear, "you're going to have an amazing time at Hogwarts."

A smile tugged at Elliot's lips while Isabella was daydreaming about all the things she would do at Hogwarts.

"Are you going to open it?" Mr Carmichael said playfully.

Isabella nodded and gently opened the letter. Her eyes scanned the contents, taking everything in.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

 _Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall_

 _Dear Miss Carmichael_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Horace Slughorn Deputy Headmaster_

Isabella's insides felt like they were doing somersaults. She stood still for just a moment, not saying anything. Realising Elliot and her dad were staring at her she quickly read the letter out loud.

"Congratulations honey, I'm so proud of you," Mr Carmichael said, his expression echoing the one Isabella had pictured in her mind earlier. Elliot gave her a curt nod.

"Good job," he said. Mr Carmichael riffled through his drawer, bringing out a pen and paper.

"We'll reply to them straight away," he said, jotting something on the paper, "Emmett!"

The elegant family owl, Emmett, flew gracefully into the room landing on Mr Carmichael's desk. Mr Carmichael tied the letter to the owl's legs before giving the owl directions.

"Give this to Miss Minerva McGonagall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." With that he opened the window and Emmett soared out of it, disappearing into the distance.

Isabella then read out the equipment list and looked up at her dad. He considered her slightly before speaking.

"It's Sunday so our shop will be closed today," he said, considering their situation, "we could go shop for your equipment."

Isabella beamed and even Elliot gave a small smile. Both of them loved living and shopping in Diagon Alley. None of them said anything until Elliot opened his mouth.

"I'm hungry, can we have breakfast?"

Later that morning Isabella, Elliot and Mr Carmichael stepped out onto the streets of Diagon Alley. Straight away Isabella saw the colourful displays in front of the shops and the equally colourful witches and wizards that scurried through the streets. She could see many of her favourite shops like Flourish and Blotts and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. George Weasley and his wife Angelina owned that shop. They had twin children, Fred (the second) and Roxanne who were about a year younger than Elliot and they were all good friends. The children often hung out in Diagon Alley while their parents worked. Her dad had told her that George's twin brother Fred had died during the war and Isabella's heart went out to him. Isabella had always been told that during the war many of the shops had been closed down and a large portion of Gringotts had been destroyed. Then a voice dragged her out of her thoughts.

"I have money so we don't have to go to Gringotts. Where do you want to go first?" Her dad asked her.

"Umm, Flourish and Blotts," she answered. She often spent time in that shop, browsing over books both fiction and non-fiction. Reading was one of her favourite pastimes. As they made their way to Flourish and Blotts Isabella read over the equipment list again.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform _First-year students will require:_

 _Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

 _One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

 _One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

 _One winter black cloak (black, silver fastenings)_

 _Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

Set Books All students should have a copy of each of the following: The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk_ A History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot_ Magical Theory _by Adalbert Waffling_ A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch_ One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore_ Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger_ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _by Newt Scamander_ A Guide to Magical Creatures (OWL and NEWT Students Only) _by Morgan Lopez_ The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble_ Defensive Spells _by Harry Potter_

Other Equipment _1 wand 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) 1 set glass or crystal phials 1 telescope 1 set brass scales_

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Isabella blinked; she hadn't realised Harry Potter had written a book. They had reached the Flourish and Blotts and they spent a good fifteen minutes browsing the bookshelves. When they had bought all the necessary books they left the shop. She had also bought a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_. Her dad had said it would be good to have some background information on Hogwarts. They spent the rest of the morning shopping for school supplies. They managed to get her a pewter cauldron, a telescope and a set of brass scales. Next they entered the apothecary and Isabella personally thought it was a rather gloomy place. Many dark potion ingredients lined the walls and Isabella was glad to leave the shop.

They had lunch at Gwendolyn's Café and Isabella tucked into a bowl of spaghetti bolognaise.

"Can I go look at quidditch supplies," Elliot asked, "please?"

Both Isabella and Elliot shared an interest in quidditch although Elliot took it far more seriously. Isabella did enjoy flying a lot though. If she was perfectly honest, Isabella preferred the muggle sport football (or soccer).

"Isabella still has to get her robes and her wand."

"I can get the robes by myself," Isabella added quickly, silencing her father. She found it incredibly annoying when Elliot got into a bad mood so she often tried to stop any arguments from going too far.

"If you're sure…" Her father's voice trailed off before he took control of it again, "I'll give you some money and you can go when you've finished eating."

So soon after Isabella travelled to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions while Mr Carmichael and Elliot went in the opposite direction. When she arrived inside she was greeted by a kind-looking but squat woman who she presumed was Madam Malkin.

"Hogwarts, am I right? Come right this way."

Isabella was led to the back of the shop where she was instructed to stand on a stool. On the stool next to her was another girl. The girl looked around Isabella's age and was about an inch taller. She had a pale face and ginger hair that hung just below her shoulders. Her hair was curly but unlike Isabella's, it didn't curl into ringlets. She had hazel eyes and a small dash of freckles across her nose.

"Hi, are you going to Hogwarts too?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'll be in my first year, what about you?"

"Same," the girl answered, "by the way I'm Anna, Anna Miller."

"Isabella Carmichael, are you muggle-born?" She noticed Anna seemed rather uncomfortable in her surroundings.

"Yeah, I'm the first witch in my family."

"That's cool, both my parents are magical."

' _Or were in my mum's case_ ,' Isabella thought gloomily. Madam Malkin was now taking her measurements while Anna's witch was pinning her robes. Isabella turned to Anna.

"Are you excited about Hogwarts?" She asked her.

"Yeah but I'm really nervous about the classes,' Anna admitted.

"Don't be," Isabella reassured, "I'm sure you'll be fine."

The witch fitting Anna was soon finished while Madam Malkin still had a bit to go. Anna hopped down off her stool.

"Guess I'll see you at school then," She said before smiling at Isabella.

"I'll see you soon then."

"Bye!"

Isabella saw her exit the shop just as Madam Malkin had finished with her robes.

"That's you done dearie."

"Thank-you Madam."

Isabella paid for her clothes and left the shop to find Elliot and her dad waiting outside for her. Elliot was holding a new quidditch magazine.

"Hey there Belle, shall we go to Ollivanders next?" Mr Carmichael asked her.

"Yep, I can't wait to get my wand."

Ollivanders was a shabby, old-looking shop with the words _Ollivanders: Makers of fine wands since 382 BC_ written on its door. The walls of the shop were lined with shelves filled with boxes that could only hold wands. Ollivander himself was an old man with wide, pale eyes.

"Ahh, welcome," he said in a soft voice. He then looked over at Mr Carmichael and gave him a small nod, "Wesley, good to see you again. 11 and a half inches long, flexible, mahogany and dragon heartstring. Good for transfiguration, am I right?"

"Yes you are," Mr Carmichael said before adding, "Good to see you too, Mr Ollivander."

"How did you know what his wand was?" Elliot inquired, frowning slightly.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr Carmichael."

Ollivander then turned his gaze to Isabella and locked eyes with her. She almost gave an involuntary shudder.

"Which is your wand arm Miss Carmichael?"

"Right," she answered as she held out her right arm. Ollivander measured her, muttering to her about how no two wands are the same. He gave off a rather creepy vibe. He then carefully chose a wand from one of the shelves.

"Maple, unicorn hair, bendy, 10 inches," he told her, "try it."

Isabella tried it but nothing happened. Ollivander took that wand and gave her another wand. Again nothing happened. She tried more and more wands but still no results. Ollivander smiled while carefully browsed the shelves. He stopped and picked out another wand.

"Try this one, it's nine and a quarter, oak, slightly springy and phoenix feather."

Isabella gave it a little wave. The wand felt warm in her hands as small sparks flew from it. Her dad's face broke into a grin, Elliot gave a small nod and Ollivander sent her a crooked smile.

"That's the one," Mr Carmichael inquired, "right Mr Ollivander?"

"It certainly is," said Ollivander as he turned to Isabella, "that wand chose you, treat it well."

"I will Mr Ollivander," said Isabella, slightly overwhelmed.

"Good…" Ollivander muttered, his voice trailing off.

Mr Carmichael paid for the wand and they soon found themselves back home with Isabella's school gear on the floor of her room. That night Isabella fell asleep thinking of all the things she would do at Hogwarts.

* * *

 **Chapter 1 is finished! Please tell me what you thought and how you think I could improve it. Any ideas you have are also welcome. More of J.K's characters next chapter.**

 **By the way I have nothing against werewolves and I only wrote that part in for the convenience of the plot.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own harry Potter. I mention The Hunger Games in this chapter which I also don't own.**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Hogwarts Express

It was the morning of the day before Isabella had to leave for Hogwarts and she was sitting on the couch with Elliot, sipping hot chocolate. It was at the point when she had just finished her drink that Mr Carmichael walked in.

"Hey Dad, can we go see Fred and Roxanne?" Isabella asked, "I want to say goodbye to them before I leave."

Her dad considered this for a moment, "Yes but take Elliot with you."

"Alright, come on kiddo," she added, "Bye Dad!"

It took Isabella and Elliot only minutes to travel down the streets of Diagon Alley to the bright and colourful shop that was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. When they walked through the door Isabella could see that the shop was bustling with people trying to get a closer look at the multiple products that sat upon the many shelves.

"There they are," Elliot pointed to two children getting a stern word from a women standing opposite them. Isabella and Elliot started towards them and, upon seeing them, Angelina stood up straight and smiled.

"Hey Isabella, hi Elliot," said Angelina before shooting a pointed look at Fred and Roxanne that clearly said - _don't try anything._

The twins gave them a wave before their faces spread into identical grins and they said, "Hi guys!"

Isabella and Elliot exchanged greetings before Isabella asked, "What have they done this time?"

Fred and Roxanne Weasley were eight year old twins who had a passion for jokes and pranks. Roxanne was slightly more sensible than Fred and was a pretty girl who had dark skin and hair. Like Fred, she had brown eyes that glinted with mischief. Fred also had tanned skin but not as dark as his mum or sister. He had short red hair that was typical of the Weasley family.

"The twins thought it would be funny to fill their father's desk with self-expanding slime," Angelina heaved.

The twins laughed and Elliot said, 'I bet he would have liked that."

Isabella wasn't sure whether Elliot was being sarcastic or not. George Weasley was known to be quite the joker.

"Yes, their father was quite proud," Angelina's tone made it evident that unlike George, she was not proud.

Just then a short man with greying hair came over to Angelina, who Isabella noticed was wearing the magenta staff robes of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"Excuse me, please can you help me find the muggle products section," he asked timidly, "my son's quite a fanatic when it comes to muggle items."

"Of course," she said politely before turning to Isabella and Elliot, "I'll talk to you guys later."

With that she led the short man toward the muggle products.

"Hey Bella, can we see your wand?" Fred asked with an unmistakeable eagerness in his voice. Slightly worried, Isabella handed him her wand. She had started to take her wand with her everywhere so she could get used to having it.

"Wicked," Fred muttered under his voice before passing it to Roxanne who looked at it with an awed fascination.

Roxanne handed it back to Isabella, who was glad to have it out of the twins' pranking hands. Roxanne sighed.

"It's not going to be the same here without you," she said, "I wish Fred and I could come with you."

"It's only three more years till you guys can go."

"Yeah but we want to go now," Fred groaned, "at least we still have Elliot."

"You still have me," Elliot agreed, "but it will definitely be different without you Isabella."

Elliot always called everyone by their proper names no matter what the occasion. Isabella wished he would sometimes call her Bella like the twins or Belle like her dad did. At that point George and Angelina Weasley walked over to them. George was carrying a magenta box while wearing what Isabella called his trademark grin.

"Hello Carmichaels," he greeted.

"Hey George."

"Hello."

"I can't believe it's only one more day till you go to Hogwarts Isabella," Angelina said with a disbelieving voice.

"I remember my first day at Hogwarts, Fred and I caused quite a riot on the Hogwarts express," George was smiling when he said this but Isabella couldn't help notice a moment of sadness pass over his eyes.

"I can imagine that," Elliot said, a smile pulling at his lips. He had always liked George.

"We have something to give you Bella," George's grin widened, "you know, just in case you need it at Hogwarts."

Angelina frowned, "I highly suggest you don't use it too much or you'll probably get a detention."

The twins' faces broke into grins similar to their father's.

"It's a collection of some of our greatest products, just in case of emergencies," George said with a wink.

"Thanks so much," Isabella gushed.

"Don't thank us," Angelina said smiling, "it was the twins' idea."

"Thanks Freddie, thanks Roxy."

"That's okay but use it wisely," Fred said, also winking at her but not as smoothly as George.

"I'm going to miss you around here," Angelina said pulling Isabella into a hug, who was then embraced by George.

For the rest of the day Isabella laughed and joked with Elliot, Fred and Roxanne while her mind wandered to more mysterious topics like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

The morning of the 1st of September came quicker than Isabella had expected. She awoke earlier than usual to find her trunk packed and ready to go. She figured she would get changed into her robes on the train.

Isabella was rather small for her age and had deep blue eyes with a grey tinge to them. From a distance her hair seemed a light ash blond but with closer inspection one could see shades of blonde, light brown and even gold. The ends of her hair curled into natural ringlets which on some occasions annoyed Isabella.

They took a taxi into Kings Cross station and the muggles they passed often gave them strange looks. Isabella suspected this was because of her rather large trunk. When they got to the wall between platforms 9 and 10 they stopped.

"Are you ready?" Mr Carmichael asked and when Isabella gave a small nod he said, "You go first Isabella."

Isabella lined her trunk up and with a slight concern for her safety, she ran at the wall. Just before she reached it she closed her eyes in anticipation but she passed straight through. Elliot and her dad soon followed her. They both seemed unfazed by the fact they had just run through a wall. She peered around at her surroundings. The platform was bustling with people both young and old. The Hogwarts Express stood in front of her with all its majestic glory radiating from it. Isabella drew a sharp breath.

"Well," her dad said, "we had better get your trunk on the train."

With that he helped Isabella load her things onto the train while Elliot stood back, watching them with great interest. Mr Carmichael glanced at his watch; apparently it was the same one he had been given for his 17th birthday.

"We had better hurry or you'll miss the train," with that he gave her a huge bear hug, "I'll miss you Isabella. Now don't forget to write."

"Don't worry, I won't."

"And don't get into too much trouble."

"I'll try not to let my rebellious nature get the better of me," both Isabella and her dad knew she wasn't the rule-breaking type. She turned to Elliot before grinning broadly.

"Come here," she said before embracing him. He broke off and huffed.

"Good luck at Hogwarts, I wish I could go."

"Only a few more years Elliot," their dad reassured him. The Hogwarts Express gave a long, ear-splitting whistle.

"I have to go," Isabella said, giving them one last wave, "Bye!"

They chorused goodbyes and Isabella hopped on the train and the doors slid shut behind her. The train gave another whistle before it started moving and Isabella watched as her family grew smaller in the distance. She pushed past the groups of students as she attempted to find an empty compartment. There wasn't one. She would just have to share with another student, hopefully a first year. She glanced into one compartment and saw a familiar mass of short, slightly curly, ginger hair. It was the muggle-born girl from Madam Malkins, Anna Miller. She was sitting alone reading a book but Isabella couldn't see the title. With a burst of confidence she slid the compartment door open.

"Hi, can I sit there?" she asked, hoping Anna would say yes.

"Sure," Anna smiled at her and she took the seat opposite her, "hey, I remember you, we met in Diagon Alley. It's Isabella Carmichael, right?"

Isabella nodded. She was glad Anna was being so friendly.

"I'm glad you came, I thought I would have to sit here alone."

"Well, I'm glad you let me sit here. What are you reading?" Isabella asked, keen to start a conversation.

"It's a muggle book, I think that's the term, it's called The Hunger Games and it's by Suzanne Collins."

"Oh, I've read that," Isabella said, rather excited. She loved talking about books she had read.

""You read muggle books?" Anna asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah, they've gotten more popular after the end of the second wizarding war."

"It must have been great to have grown up with magic. You probably already know heaps of magic," she seemed upset at this, "I bet I'll be behind in class."

"Actually I don't know any spells since we're not allowed to do magic if we are underage. Besides, a lot of kids at Hogwarts are muggle-born so you won't be behind in class."

This seemed to cheer Anna up a little and they then started comparing muggle life to magical life – a topic Isabella found quite interesting. This lasted about half an hour until a shrill voice shouted from the aisle.

"Anything from the trolley?"

Anna looked up in surprise.

"What was that?" she asked curiously.

"It's just the food trolley, are you getting anything?"

"I haven't got any money," she looked a little disappointed.

"I'll buy you something."

"No, it's okay, I'm fine."

"Aww, come on, I have spare money."

"All right then, but just something small."

Isabella and Anna got up and moved into the aisle. A rather squat old witch with curly grey hair and a pointed, green hat was pushing a trolley full of sweets down the aisle.

"Anything from the trolley dearies?" she asked them.

"Umm, I'll have a liquorice wand and a packet of Bertie Botts please," Isabella answered before turning to Anna, "what do you want?"

"I'll just have one of them," she said pointing to a chocolate frog.

Isabella paid the witch her money and they moved back into their compartment. Anna peered curiously at her chocolate frog.

"It says it has a famous witch or wizard card in here."

"Yeah it does, you can try to collect them all if you want," Isabella said knowledgeably, "by the way the frog moves so you might want to grab it quickly."

Anna looked a little shocked and opened the box cautiously. She quickly grabbed the frog and after a few seconds it stopped squirming.

"Is it safe to eat?" She asked.

Isabella smiled at her concerns before answering.

"Yep, it's safe."

Anna hurriedly ate the frog before turning her attention to the card on her lap.

"Harry Potter?" She asked.

"He was a war hero; he defeated Lord Voldemort – one of the darkest wizards of all time."

Isabella knew that in the past some people had trouble saying Voldemort's name but he was already dead when Isabella was born so she had no such problems.

"I think I've read something about him in one of the school books," Anna said still looking down at the card, "do you know anyone who fought in the war?"

"My parents did," she had always been proud to say that her parents fought against Voldemort and his death eaters even though they didn't talk about it much at home.

"Wow, really?" Anna looked impressed, "they must have been brave."

Isabella nodded. It was then she realised what this could lead to. She wasn't ready to talk about her mother's death; not yet anyway. At this point the compartment door slid open. Two brunette girls appeared in the doorway. One was tall and had long hair that fell down her back. Her brown hair was so dark that it could easily be mistaken for black. She had high cheekbones and electric blue eyes. The other girl was shorter and had light brown hair that was tied back in a messy bun. She had a round face and pretty green eyes.

"Hi," the shorter girl said. She had a strong Scottish accent. "We were wondering if we could sit here?"

"Umm sure," Isabella said, a little surprised at the girls' appearance.

"We've been in my sister's compartment but we wanted to meet other people as well," the shorter girl continued, "my name's Eleanor McGruff by the way."

"I'm Sapphire Wallace," the other girl said, "Our families are friends."

"Well, I'm Isabella Carmichael and this is Anna Miller."

"Do you guys come from magical families or are you muggle-born?" Anna asked.

"We come from magical families," Sapphire explained, "We're both pure-blood."

"What about you guys?" Eleanor asked.

"I'm pure-blood," Isabella started.

"And I'm a muggle-born," Anna concluded.

"Do you guys know what houses you want to be in?" Eleanor asked, leaning in closer.

"What are they called again?" Anna asked, slightly ashamed she didn't know.

"Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin," Sapphire answered as though she was reading off a script.

"I'm not sure," Isabella said, "maybe Gryffindor or Hufflepuff although Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad. My dad was a Gryffindor but my mum was a Ravenclaw."

"Well my parents were Gryffindors, my sister's a Slytherin and my brother's a Ravenclaw so I could go anywhere. I'm hoping Gryffindor though," Eleanor recited.

"I don't really care as long as I'm with my friends," Sapphire shrugged.

"I have no idea," Anna said, bitting her lip, "I don't know enough about each house to make a decision."

"Gryffindor is for those who are brave and value courage," Eleanor started off, "Ravenclaw is for those who are smart, value knowledge and stuff like that."

"Slytherin is for those who are cunning and ambitious and also value that as well," Sapphire continued.

"And Hufflepuff is for those who value loyalty and are kind and hardworking. Many people think Hufflepuffs are weak but that's not true," Isabella finished, she often got annoyed by stereotypes like that.

"And people think all Slytherins are evil but that's also not true," Sapphire said firmly.

"Absolutely," Eleanor agreed.

"Knowing that, I wouldn't mind being in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," Anna deduced.

There was silence for a while before Eleanor suggested, "How about we all stay friends even if we get split up because I don't know about you guys but I don't want to be a loner."

They all agreed to stay friends and Isabella was relieved to have already made so many friends. They chatted for the next few hours about Hogwarts, Quidditch (which Anna seemed particularly interested in), and even her father's shop since both Eleanor and Sapphire remember going to it as little children. They also spent many minutes laughing at each other's jokes (especially Eleanor's). Luckily they didn't get onto the topic of Isabella's mother. Later that evening the Hogwarts Express gave a loud whistle which Isabella knew meant only one thing – they had arrived

* * *

 **Chapter two is done! Please feel free to tell me any feedback or ideas for the story you have. Also what house do you think everyone should be in?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Time for chapter 3!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

Chapter 3: The Sorting Ceremony

Isabella followed Eleanor, Sapphire and Anna off the train. The platform was full of students of all ages looking for the way towards Hogwarts. It took her ears a minute to get used to the noise. Isabella craned her neck but she couldn't see the school. Suddenly a loud voice came out of the crowd.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! Follow me!" A giant of a man holding a lamp, towering over all of the students, was shouting to the first years. He had a large bushy beard and was perhaps the most abnormal man Isabella had ever seen. Despite this, he didn't seem unkind. Eleanor and Sapphire were already heading towards the man. Isabella grabbed a gobsmacked Anna's arm and dragged her along.

"He's _giant_!" Anna exclaimed.

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed."

When they got closer Eleanor beckoned to her and Sapphire.

"His name's Hagrid, my brother has him for Care of Magical Creatures," Eleanor whispered to her.

"Any more firs'-years?" Hagrid asked.

"No idea," Eleanor answered, beaming.

Hagrid looked at her curiously, "Yer David's sister right? He's a good kid."

"Yep, I'm Eleanor and this is Sapphire, Isabella and Anna."

"It's nice to meet yer," Hagrid said warmly before turning his attention back to the rest of the first years, "Firs'-years follow me!"

With that he turned and led the first years away from the platform. They walked down a steep, narrow path and Isabella was worried she would trip.

"Hogwarts is jus' round this bend," Hagrid called.

Isabella gasped. Before her was perhaps the most magnificent place she'd ever seen. She had heard about Hogwarts but she never expected to be this amazed. Hogwarts was a majestic castle with many towers that was perched on top of a high mountain. There was a lake just in front of her with many small boats floating near the shore.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Isabella hopped into a boat with Anna, Eleanor and Sapphire. The small boat swayed under their feet. Hagrid then called, "FORWARD!"

Everyone was completely silent during the boat trip, everyone seemed stunned by Hogwarts. The boats sailed into a harbour where they all climbed out. When Hagrid knocked on the castle door it was opened by an older man in emerald robes.

The man looked the first years up and down, "Thank-you Hagrid, I'll handle them from here. You should go up into the Great Hall now."

"All right Professor," And with that Hagrid slipped through the castle doors and out of sight. The man with the emerald robes spoke.

"Welcome all of you, I'm Professor Slughorn. Please follow me."

They walked through the castle and once again Isabella appreciated its size. She wanted to take everything in. The group stopped outside two doors and Professor Slughorn addressed them again.

"Now before you enter the hall and take your seats, you must be sorted," Professor Slughorn said, "while you are at Hogwarts your house will be like your family. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin and each has its own noble history. Your triumphs will earn your house points but be warned, any rule-breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup – a prestigious prize indeed."

He seemed to take a breath before continuing, "The ceremony will start shortly in front of the student body. I will come get you when we are ready."

With that he gave a small nod and left through the doors. The first years erupted into chatter.

"Oh I'm so nervous," squealed Anna.

"I heard they only let the best students into Hogwarts and chuck out the rest," Eleanor said jokingly, smirking at Anna. This made Anna more nervous while Sapphire rolled her eyes.

"She's kidding Anna, don't worry."

"Oh, phew," Anna sighed.

"What's wrong?" said a haughty voice, "Scared?"

Isabella's head whipped around and she found the owner of the voice. Before her stood a girl with mousy-brown hair and mean-looking hazel eyes. Behind was a blond boy, a small girl with strawberry-blonde hair and a pretty girl with silvery-blonde hair and light, blue eyes. The boy seemed to be egging the speaker on while the other two girls looked uncomfortable.

"Umm, a little," Anna answered, "Aren't you?"

"Only wimps are scared," The girl with the mousy-brown hair sneered. Her voice was sickly-sweet, "not that you're a wimp."

Anna's face flushed with anger. Eleanor looked like she was about to say something but the girl spoke first.

"I'm Lola Grant and if you girls ever want to become higher class talk to me and I'll see what I can do."

With that Lola and her friends stalked over to the other side of the room but just before the girl with the silvery-blonde hair left, she turned to them.

"I'm sorry about her, she was nicer on the train," and with that the girl scuttled after Lola.

"What's her problem?" Eleanor spat.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope Lola's not in it," Sapphire decided. Isabella noticed Anna glaring after Lola and gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

"I'd rather be a wimp than like her," Isabella reassured.

"Thanks," Anna said weakly.

At that point Professor Slughorn returned, "Line up over here please, the ceremony is about to begin."

As they walked into the hall Isabella saw four tables with multiple plates and goblets on them. She tried to ignore the many students craning their necks, trying to get a view of this year's first years. The ceiling was an image of a clear night sky and above her many candles floated in mid-air.

"I read that the ceiling's enchanted to look like the sky outside," Anna whispered to her.

At the front of the hall was the teachers' table and Isabella recognised Hagrid sitting there, beaming at the first years. A stern looking women was sitting in the Headmistress' chair. Isabella saw Professor Slughorn place a stool down at the front of them and upon that stool he placed a dirty looking hat. A rip appeared in the hat like a mouth and the hat began to _sing_. Isabella thought she was going mad as the hat sang about the four houses, the founders and how it would sort you into your house.

At the end of the song the whole hall burst into applause.

"It's a hat and it sings!" Eleanor gasped in amusement and delight. When the hall was silent Professor Slughorn stepped forward and took out a long list.

"When I call your name, step forward and sit on the stool. Then you will be sorted."

The first years shuffled nervously and Professor Slughorn began to call out names.

"Anton, Chloe!"

A rather pale-looking tall, blonde girl came forward and Professor Slughorn placed the hat on her head. After a moment the hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left cheered and Chloe went to join her peers. Isabella knew she must be soon. Professor Slughorn called, "Bailey, Thomas!" who became the first Gryffindor and then "Brown, Molly!" who became the first Slytherin.

Then Professor Slughorn called, "Carmichael, Isabella!"

Isabella walked up to the stool, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. She sat down on the stool and the sorting hat fell over her eyes.

"Interesting," said a voice in her ear, "quite difficult I see. You're quite bright, perhaps Ravenclaw? No, that won't do."

' _Why?'_ Isabella thought.

"Knowledge and learning aren't your highest values," The voice answered.

' _Oh.'_

"Slytherin perhaps, you have a bit of cunning and ambition. Actually that won't do."

This time Isabella didn't question the sorting hat.

"You have plenty of courage and bravery," the hat continued, "but also loyalty and kindness. Gryffindor or Hufflepuff? Gryffindor or Hufflepuff?"

Isabella tried to push any biased thoughts out of her mind – she wanted the hat to make this decision.

"Well then, I'll put you in HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted the last bit to the hall. Isabella let out a sigh of relief and Professor Slughorn pulled the hat off her head. She went to join the table on the right, who was cheering loudly. Being the first to be sorted in Hufflepuff Isabella sat next to an older boy with a shining prefect badge on.

"Welcome to Hufflepuff!" He said before shaking her hand with much enthusiasm, "I'm Billy Higgins, a fifth year prefect. If you need anything, just talk to me."

"Thanks, I'm Isabella." With that she turned her attention to the hat who had just sorted "Davies, Wally!" into Gryffindor.

When Professor Slughorn called out, "Grant, Lola," the hat took a while to decide.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted to the hall. Lola smirked and made her way to a Gryffindor table. Isabella had to admit she didn't expect that.

A black haired boy by the name of "Kelly, Matthias!" was sorted into Slytherin before Professor Slughorn called out "McGruff, Eleanor!"

Isabella leaned forward but soon after it was placed on her head the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" Isabella fell back in her seat feeling disappointed. Eleanor shot her a sad look before joining the other Gryffindors. Right after Eleanor was sorted "Miller, Anna!" was called. Isabella felt that rush of nervousness run through her again. After a while the hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!" Happiness flooded through Isabella as Anna ran excitedly to the seat beside her.

"I'm so glad I'm with you," Anna breathed, "but poor Eleanor though."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," she reassured herself as much as Anna, "I'm glad we're together, you know the hat almost put me in Gryffindor."

"I was almost put in Ravenclaw."

They watched the sorting ceremony again just as "Robertson, Anthony!" was sorted into Ravenclaw. "Smiles, Debbie!" The girl with the strawberry-blonde hair who had been Lola's friend was sorted in Hufflepuff. Isabella hoped she was a bit more pleasant than Lola. Two twins called "Sepp, Lisa!" and "Sepp, Henri!" were sorted into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw respectively. Then "Wallace, Sapphire!" was called.

Sapphire shot a look at the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff table and Isabella bit her lip. Quite a long time after, the sorting hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Damn," Isabella muttered. Now both Sapphire and Eleanor were alone. Looking a little disappointed, Sapphire walked over to the Slytherin table.

Next Professor Slughorn called out, "Waters, Chelsea!" who was a Hufflepuff and then "Weasley, Dominique!" The girl with the silvery-blond hair walked up. Isabella remembered her as the girl who had apologised for Lola. ' _Wait a second, Weasley? As in Ron Weasley'_ Ron Weasley was a famous auror and war hero. He and his wife Hermione were known to be Harry Potter's best friends. Maybe they were related. Without a second thought, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Dominique went to sit next to Lola. After her "Wu, Callum!" was sorted into Hufflepuff.

The blond boy who was Lola's friend was a Gryffindor and the last to be sorted. Isabella now knew his name was Mitchell Young. The stern-looking woman stood up and the hall fell silent.

"That's headmistress McGonagall," Billy whispered to the Hufflepuff first years.

"Good evening everyone and welcome back to another year at Hogwarts," McGonagall said, her eyes moving from table to table. "Now before we eat I have a few things to say. A quick reminder to you all is that the forest is off limits to all students. No magic is to be used in the hallways and definitely not on other students. Also, on _no_ occasion should a student be out of bed after hours."

Isabella did her best to remember those rules before McGonagall continued, "Now then, let us eat!"

To Isabella's amazement the plates were no longer empty but filled with the most delicious looking food. There was everything from roast potatoes and pork chops to lasagne and chips. She turned to look at the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables. Sapphire looked less disappointed and was now talking to an older boy who resembled her slightly. Isabella peered over at the Gryffindor table. Eleanor looked perfectly fine and was at this moment having a conversation with Dominique Weasley in between mouthfuls. She caught Isabella's eye and gave her an encouraging smile before turning back to her conversation.

"Eat up, it's good!" Billy told her while loading pork chops on to his plate.

"You should try the chips," Anna suggested. Isabella was halfway through her meal when a number of pale figures glided into the hall, passing through students and tables. They were ghosts. Their appearance caused quite an uproar among the first years.

"What are they!?" exclaimed Ben Hughes, a Hufflepuff first year with salt and pepper coloured hair.

"They're ghosts," Anna answered, "they roam the castle freely so you better get used to them."

"How'd you know that?" Isabella looked at her with a curious expression; she was muggle-born after all.

"I do read you know," Anna said, rolling her eyes.

"Fair enough," Isabella said.

A particularly round ghost had found his way to the Hufflepuff first years. He smiled broadly.

"Welcome to Hufflepuff," The first years looked up at him with an expression of awe and amazement, "I'm your resident ghost and everybody calls me the Fat Friar."

The girl opposite Isabella whose name was Chelsea was the first to recover her wits, "Hi, I'm Chelsea, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"And to you too," the Fat Friar beamed at her. "I hope you all have a wonderful time at Hogwarts."

With that he glided away to the other side of the Hufflepuff table.

"Now that's something you don't see every day," Anna muttered.

"No kidding."

When they had all finished their food, the main course disappeared and was replaced with an array of wonderful desserts. Isabella went straight for the apple pie and ice-cream.

"So what class are you most excited about?" Anna asked her between mouthfuls of treacle tart.

"I don't know, maybe Defence against the Dark Arts."

"I can't wait till flying lessons; I've never ridden a broom before. It seems a bit silly doesn't it?"

"What does?" Isabella asked, frowning.

"Riding a broom, I mean muggles use them for cleaning."

"Life as a witch or wizard is different to life as a muggle."

"I guess so."

When dessert was finished and the mess had disappeared, McGonagall stood up again.

"One last thing, Quidditch trials will be held next week. Any student wishing to try out for their house should contact their house's Quidditch captain by the end of this week."

"Quidditch is your sport, right?" Anna whispered to her.

"Yeah, it is."

"Sounds like fun."

'Now," McGonagall continued, "Let us all sing our school song!"

Then Hogwarts sang, rather out of tune:

' _Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please.  
Whether we be old and bald  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling  
With some interesting stuff  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of Fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot.'_

Isabella and Anna burst out laughing.

"That is the most ridiculous school song ever," Isabella laughed, "Whoever wrote that was probably drunk!"

When the noise had died down McGonagall spoke again.

"Hmm, yes, never gets old," she said, "Now, off to bed all of you!"

Isabella, Anna and the rest of the Hufflepuff first years followed Billy and the other prefects out of the hall. They walked through many corridors of the castle until they reached a stack of barrels.

"This is the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room," Billy said, "to enter the common room you must tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row in the rhythm of _Helga Hufflepuff_."

He did just that and the lid swung open, revealing a small passageway.

"Follow me please."

Isabella crawled through the tunnel with Anna right behind her. At the end of the passage way was the Hufflepuff common room. Isabella saw a round, low-ceilinged room that she thought was very welcoming. The room had an earthy feeling to it and multiple plants adorned the walls and windowsills. The room was decorated in yellow and black and was home to many overstuffed chairs and sofas. Isabella thought it was amazing.

"This is the Hufflepuff common room," Billy recited, "You are free to both study and socialize here. Please do not tell any other houses how to get into our common room."

Billy pointed to two round doors in the wall. "Those are the entrances to the dormitories. Girls are on the right and boys are on the left. I suggest you get to bed early tonight, you have a big day of classes tomorrow."

When Billy had finished Isabella turned to Anna, "Do you want to go straight to our dormitory?"

"Yes, I want to go to sleep early tonight."

Together they climbed through the round door and made their way into their dormitory. Chelsea Waters was already there and sitting on one of the beds. She grinned at them.

"The other two haven't come up yet," she said, "so claim your beds quickly."

Isabella took the bed closest to the window while Anna took the one beside her. Chelsea was a girl with short, straight blonde hair and grey eyes. She always seemed to be smiling.

"Are you guys best friends?" she asked.

Anna glanced at Isabella before answering, "Yeah, I guess."

"All my friends were sorted into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," Chelsea said sadly.

"Why don't you hang with us while we're here?" Isabella suggested.

Chelsea brightened up right away, "Would that be all right?"

"Sure."

"Thanks you two."

Just then another girl entered the room - it was Lola's friend. She smiled slightly at them.

"Hey guys, I guess I'm sharing with you," she said.

"I guess so," Chelsea said, "I'm Chelsea."

"I'm Isabella and this is Anna," Isabella knew the girl hadn't really done anything wrong so she decided to give her a chance. Anna was looking everywhere but at the girl.

"I'm Debbie, nice to meet you." She took the bed closest to the door. Not long after the fifth girl, a brown-haired girl named Millie Smith came in and took the remaining bed. Soon all five girls were in bed and all but one of them asleep. Isabella lay awake, her mind full of what was to come. She was awake for a whole hour before drifting off to sleep.

 **I think that was my longest chapter yet. Any reviews for this story will be greatly appreciated. Thank-you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

Chapter 4: Classes

The next morning Isabella was shaken awake by Anna who was already dressed.

"You had better get up, we have school today," Anna said to her while still shaking her shoulders. When she could properly see she noticed that Millie was brushing her hair while Chelsea was trying to figure out her tie. Debbie was nowhere to be seen.

Isabella bolted out of bed, "How long have you guys been awake?"

"Not long, you still have half an hour to get ready before breakfast." Anna answered.

"Oh come on!" Isabella exaggerated.

"That's plenty of time."

"For you perhaps, but I take forty minutes to get ready on a good day." Isabella groaned.

"Whatever," Anna rolled her eyes before moving away. Luckily Isabella managed to get ready on time although she was still tying her hair into a ponytail on the walk to breakfast. Anna had pulled her hair back into a fancy braid that Isabella figured she could never do. Breakfast was already on the table by the time the two of them got there so they sat awkwardly down near the front of the Hufflepuff table and started to eat.

"Where do you think Eleanor and Sapphire are?" asked Anna while she peered at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. Eleanor and Sapphire were nowhere to be seen.

"Don't know but we might be in some of their classes."

"Yeah, maybe," said Anna, "Hey look, Professor Slughorn's handing out timetables."

When Slughorn handed Isabella her timetable she saw that she had Charms first up with Ravenclaw and then Transfiguration with the Gryffindors.

"Hey you guys," Eleanor said as she slid into the area next to Isabella while Sapphire sat next to Anna.

"Hi, are you guys allowed to be here?" Isabella asked, "This isn't your house tables after all."

"Probably not," Eleanor shrugged, "I have Defence against the Dark Arts with Sapphire first and then transfiguration with you two."

"We have Charms with Ravenclaw first," Anna said.

"You know there are skulls in the Slytherin common room," Sapphire told them, "They were totally disgusting and this morning my brother threw one at me."

"Rough," Isabella nodded, wondering what it was like to have a brother who was actually violent, unlike Elliot, "What's your brother's name?"

"Sylvester and he's a fourth year," Sapphire said while drumming her figures on the table, "Do you guys have any brothers or sisters?"

"I have a little brother called Elliot, he's nine."

"Well I have a brother in fourth year called David. He's in Ravenclaw and my sister's in Slytherin. Her name's Annabelle and she's a 5th year prefect," Eleanor said the last part in a mock tone.

"Well I have an older sister called Josephine who's 15. She was so upset because I'm a witch and she's not," Anna said smugly.

"That's sweet," said Eleanor before she pointed towards a brown-haired boy, "There's David over there."

"Call him over, I want to meet him," Isabella said.

"No you don't, He's boring. Oi David, get over here!" Eleanor called. Isabella swore she saw David roll his eyes before walking over to them.

"What do you want?" David asked, eyeing the four first years. David was similar-looking to Eleanor with light brown hair and emerald eyes.

"Why hello to you too brother," Eleanor said before pointing at Isabella and Anna, "That's Isabella and Anna."

"Hey," Isabella said and Anna also said her greetings.

"Are you guys ready for your first classes?" they all nodded, "I remember my first class at Hogwarts, a boy in m-"

"I don't care," Eleanor interrupted.

"Whatever," David sighed, "You guys should get ready for class; it starts soon."

With that David walked away towards the Ravenclaw table.

"He's right you know," said Anna, "We should get ready for class."

They all agreed and went their separate ways; Eleanor and Sapphire to the Defence against the Dark Arts classrooms and Isabella and Anna to the Charms classroom.

* * *

Professor Flitwick was a tiny man who needed to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. Charms class was pretty fun but they didn't do much work since a lot of the lesson was spent with Flitwick explaining how things worked. Professor Flitwick seemed like a pretty cool guy even if he was a bit squeaky.

When Isabella and Anna walked into Transfiguration they saw Eleanor sitting next to a window. Isabella sat down next to Eleanor while Anna took the seat to their left. Eleanor leaned to get something out of her bag and Isabella was surprised to see that she brought out a pair of glasses.

She slipped them on and asked Isabella, "How do I look?"

"Stunning, I didn't know you wore glasses."

"I only need them for reading but my parents said I should wear them for most of my lessons."

At that moment a tall middle-aged man walked into the room. He had sparkling blue eyes and silky black hair.

"Good-morning class," he said, "my name is Professor Pratt and I will be teaching you Transfiguration. Now Transfiguration is quite a complicated and dangerous subject so it should be handled with care. Please keep any mischief and trouble-making to a minimum."

According to Eleanor, this was Professor Pratt's first year teaching at Hogwarts; apparently he only just grabbed the job. Isabella felt sorry for him; his name would attract many nasty nicknames.

The class task for today was to turn a match into a needle; a task Isabella found more difficult than expected. It wasn't long until the class erupted in chatter.

"Sir, I can't do it," whined a Gryffindor girl by the name of Christina Frazier. When Professor Pratt went over to Christina, Eleanor turned to Isabella. Her match lay on her desk, disregarded.

"You'll never guess what happened in Defence against the Dark Arts today," she grinned.

"What?" Isabella's Charms class was quite uneventful so she was willing to hear something interesting.

"You know the Slytherin Jonathon Green?" She asked and Isabella nodded, "well, the professor left the room to get some extra parchment and some of the boys tried jumping over some tables when she was gone. Jonathon's a bit on the chubby side and when he tried to jump he stretched his top and one of the buttons went flying off!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yep, when the professor came back she didn't even notice!"

"I wish I could have seen that," Isabella said wishfully.

"It was hilarious, Sapphire and I laughed for ages!" Eleanor grinned at the memory.

"Well Charms was boring," Isabella complained, "but me and Anna -"

"Anna and I," Eleanor said immediately.

"What?"

"It's Anna and I, not me and Anna," She corrected.

"Dude, are you serious?"

"Dead serious," Eleanor paused for a short while before saying, "Keep calling me dude; it makes me feel cool."

"Okay, dude."

"Girls, are you working?" Professor Pratt was looking sternly down at them.

"Yes," Isabella answered perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Of course professor," Eleanor said smoothly, smiling up at the professor.

"Good," his voice trailing off as he walked away.

"Just kidding professor, I haven't started," Eleanor grinned; she was just quiet enough so that Professor Pratt couldn't hear.

"You guys should hurry up then, I've already finished," Anna said from the other table with a rather arrogant expression.

"Show off," Isabella muttered before trying to transform her own match; by the end of the lesson both Isabella and Eleanor had managed to transfigure their matches.

Defence against the Dark Arts was quite uneventful except for the fact that Isabella found out that Professor McGruff was Eleanor's second cousin. Isabella figured Eleanor came from one of those ancient wizarding families that seemed to be related to everyone.

* * *

Lunchtime came around soon enough and Isabella found herself wandering the grounds with her friends. They were allowed to sit outside when the weather was pleasant.

"Why don't we sit over there?" Anna pointed to a small table near a wall.

Sapphire shook her head and indicated to a group of first year boys, "It's too close to other people."

"I hate people," Eleanor said.

"Ew, people," Isabella added for good measure.

"I get the point," Anna muttered, "Gosh."

Eventually they found a nice spot under a tree, near the forbidden forest. There was a small table that just fitted the four of them on it. Not long after they had settled they saw Lola Grant stalk towards them, flanked by Mitchell Young, Debbie Smiles, Dominique Weasley and a few others Isabella didn't immediately recognise. Isabella noticed Lola had a particularly mean expression on her face.

"Here comes trouble," Sapphire groaned.

"We're sitting here," Lola stated in a rather bossy fashion. Isabella decided it would be best to keep quiet and not cause trouble.

"We were here first," Anna argued.

"Yes but it's our spot," Lola snarled.

"It's the first day of classes, how is it your spot?" Eleanor asked frowning. Isabella thought Eleanor sounded more curious than upset.

"Because she said so," Mitchell growled, "You got a problem with that?"

"We got here first so it's only fair we get to sit here," Anna's voice seemed to raise an octave higher when she got angry.

"Life's not fair," Lola's glare travelled over them.

"I don't think that's the point," Isabella muttered so quietly that she was pretty sure no one heard her.

"Can you just, like, go away?" Sapphire asked rudely.

"Lola let's just find a different spot," Dominique suggested looking slightly anxious.

"Fine," Lola spat, "but don't think I'll forget this!"

"You'll regret this!" Mitchell sent a particularly rude word their way before he, Lola and the rest of their gang stormed off in the other direction.

"Now that was just plain rude," Eleanor said indignantly.

Anna's face had turned bright red and her fists where clenched. She seemed to be the most worked up over the argument but the others didn't exactly seem happy either.

"I bet they'll be the 'popular group', they think they're so much better than everyone else," Sapphire said with a disgusted tone.

"Let's just ignore them," Isabella suggested, not wanting her friends to become too upset, "I mean, what's the worst they can do with all these teachers prowling around?"

Sapphire shook her head, "You're so naïve."

"What do you mean?" Isabella asked frowning.

"Never mind," Sapphire sighed.

The rest of lunch was uneventful compared to the argument with Lola and her lackeys. They mostly talked about the school, their classmates and their own lives. Isabella was fascinated by Anna's muggle upbringing as well as being interested by Eleanor's large extended family. She was also slightly relieved that they avoided the uncomfortable conversation about her mother's death. Although Isabella would never admit it, she slightly envied her friend's lives; even if Sapphire's brother liked to wrestle with her (much to Sapphire's distaste).

* * *

At 3:30pm Hufflepuff and Slytherin had their first flying lesson. Anna was particularly excited. Anna had asked her many a question about Quidditch which Isabella answered to the best of her knowledge. Isabella found it unfair that when she asked about soccer, Anna had simply dismissed her by saying that mostly boys played it and that she didn't really like it.

The lesson was held at the Quidditch pitch and the professor, Madam Hooch, was old enough to make Isabella wonder whether it was healthy for her to be perched up on a broom and flying with the speeds of an up and coming Quidditch player. Then again, who was she to judge?

The objective for the lesson was to hover on their broom for an extended period of time without losing balance. Growing up with flying and Quidditch both Isabella and Sapphire had no problems with the task. Anna however, surprised everyone by succeeding as though she had been flying for years; Isabella guessed she was just a natural. In fact, Isabella secretly thought Anna had done better than both herself and Sapphire. Madam Hooch seemed so impressed with Anna's performance that she strongly suggested Anna trial for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. There hadn't been a first-year on a house team since Harry Potter himself but Madam Hooch seemed to think Anna had a chance.

Before coming to Hogwarts, Isabella had considered trialling for a house team. She knew she wouldn't get in; not in her first year anyway but she always thought it would be fun to fly around the pitch on weekends. Maybe she would try for the team in her 3rd or 4th year?

* * *

That night in the Hufflepuff common room, Anna had nagged Isabella all night about trialling for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team with her.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Anna argued.

"Why can't you just trial by yourself?" Isabella asked.

Anna look appalled, "I don't want go to the trials by myself, I'll look like a loner!"

"I'm pretty sure no one will care."

"But if you do trial with me," Anna continued, "I'll promise never to annoy you again."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Please trial with me?" Anna begged, desperate now.

"Fine," Isabella gave in; not that she particularly minded, "I'll go to the trials with you."

"Thank you!" Anna hugged her but Isabella felt like she was being strangled.

"Do you even know what position you want to play?" Chelsea giggled after watching Isabella and Anna's exchange. The three of them had been chatting before Anna latched onto the idea of trying out for the Quidditch team.

"Chaser," she said almost immediately, "I was thinking about the positions before and chaser seemed the best."

"What about you Isabella?" Chelsea asked her.

"Umm, probably keeper," Isabella remembered when she was younger and she played keeper against Elliot and the Weasley twins.

"Sounds cool," Chelsea nodded approvingly, "I always thought being a seeker would be fun to play."

"I think the captain of the Hufflepuff team is a seeker," Isabella leaned forward. The three of them were sitting around the fireplace on couches and armchairs in the Hufflepuff common room. They were lucky they got there first since the spot seemed popular. Some sixth year boys had wanted the seats but Anna fought for the seats and the boys soon left grumbling. Isabella suspected they didn't like being pushed around by first years. ' _Oh well, not my problem.'_ Isabella thought.

"How did you know that?" Anna asked obviously surprised that Isabella knew about the Quidditch captain; this was the first day of classes after all.

Isabella shrugged, "I heard it somewhere."

So later that night, Isabella and Anna signed up for the Hufflepuff quidditch team trials. The team captain was a tall, 6th year girl by the name of Maya Haynes who Isabella thought had a bit of a competitive streak. She had asked Chelsea if she had wanted to trial but Chelsea just laughed while saying that she "couldn't stay on a broom for the life of her".

"It's good to see first years wanting to have a go," Maya said, "You're the only first years to sign up yet."

"Oh really?" Isabella asked for the sole purpose of not wanting to seem rude.

"Yeah, I hope we have a decent team this year," Maya seemed to like to talk, "My boyfriend's the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain so we have to kick serious butt this year."

"I can't wait to watch the matches,' Chelsea smiled, "I heard things can get really heated."

"Oh yeah," Maya said with much enthusiasm, "Last year I got hit with a bludger and cracked my skull."

"That sounds, umm, pleasant," Isabella said weakly. Anna however seemed unfazed; she looked just as excited as ever to play Quidditch.

"Hey, Maya!" A girl Isabella didn't recognise called out to Maya.

"Sorry guys, gotta go," Maya said, "See ya at trials." With that she strolled over to the other side of the common room.

"Well she was interesting," Anna said. Isabella wasn't entirely sure where Anna was coming from.

"I thought she was kinda cool," Chelsea said. Isabella nodded, not quite sure which one she was agreeing with.

Isabella, Anna and Chelsea spent the rest of the night sitting on their beds gossiping. They were just giggling about something Chelsea had said when Debbie shuffled in, sobbing quietly. All giggling stopped immediately. When Debbie saw them she froze; she had obviously believed that she would be alone.

"Are you okay?" Chelsea asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Debbie said quickly, wiping her eyes, "I'm sorry but I have to leave."

"But…" Chelsea started.

"I'm fine!" Debbie cried before hurrying out of the room.

"Well that was weird," Anna said perhaps a little too bluntly.

"Do you think she's okay?" Isabella frowned.

Anna shrugged and continued talking about their first homework task.

 **As usual all reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated. Thank-you!**


End file.
